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Pathways and Motivations for Cyber Fraud Involvement among Female Undergraduates of Selected Universities in South-West Nigeria

Yetunde O. Ogunleye ; Ojedokun, Usman A. ; Adeyinka A. Aderinto (2020) — Zenodo

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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3702333 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Nigeria
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, Cyber Fraud, Female Offenders, Nigeria, Offender Tactics, Romance Scams, Social Learning, Social Media Fraud
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Synopsis

            
This study investigates the pathways and motivations for cyber fraud involvement among female undergraduates at two southwestern Nigerian universities. It adopts an exploratory, cross-sectional design and uses in-depth interviews to gather data from 17 female students who engaged in cyber fraud. Social learning theory provides the guiding framework, focusing on how associations with deviant others, definitions, reinforcement, and imitation shape illicit behavior. Findings indicate that initiation into cyber fraud among these women almost always came from male relatives or associates, such as boyfriends or brothers, rather than self-initiated activity. The dominant motivations were financial need and peer pressure, with some students citing a desire for faster means of meeting personal or family financial obligations and a preference to avoid more stigmatized options. A smaller share reported engaging in cyber fraud for entertainment or personal curiosity. Participants described a range of operational methods, including selling fictitious goods on social media, online dating schemes, identity theft, and soliciting funds under false pretenses. They largely learned techniques from male peers and friends, supplementing this with self-directed online research. Proceeds were used to support themselves and family members, and in some cases to seed legitimate business ventures or savings. The researchers advocate multi-level interventions, including intensified law-enforcement attention, campus prevention structures, whistleblower schemes, and broader cultural reorientation to counter the “get rich quick” mentality. The study highlights a need to recognize female cyber fraud in Nigeria as part of the broader cybercrime landscape and to tailor responses accordingly.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
The authors identify a lack of empirical information on female involvement in cyber fraud in Nigeria. Prior research had focused mainly on male offenders (“yahoo boys”), leaving female offenders’ pathways into fraud, social organization, motivations, and socioeconomic lifestyles insufficiently examined.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
This exploratory, cross-sectional qualitative study used in-depth interviews with 17 female undergraduates involved in cyber fraud at two purposively selected universities in southwest Nigeria. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling, with initial access facilitated by male counterparts. Interview topics included motivations, recruitment, techniques, target selection, relationships with male offenders, and use of proceeds. Data were manually content analyzed and thematically reported.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The study is based on a small, nonprobability sample of 17 self-identified female offenders from two universities, limiting transferability beyond these settings. Recruitment through male contacts and snowball sampling may have shaped who was reached. The authors also report that many prospective participants were skeptical, canceled appointments, or declined participation, which may have introduced selection bias. Findings rely on self-reported accounts of illegal conduct.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
The paper recommends stronger detection, arrest, and prosecution of female undergraduate cyber-fraud offenders; campus anti-cyber-fraud committees and penalties; expansion of whistleblowing incentives to cyber fraud; and multilevel reorientation involving families, religious institutions, media, and the National Orientation Agency. Future research is also warranted to address the stated lack of empirical information on female offenders’ pathways, social organization, motivations, and socioeconomic lifestyles.

          

              

    
    

        
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